Many Shades of Black
by brighteyedcat
Summary: CameronThirteen. After breaking up with Foreman and Chase, Thirteen and Cameron consider their options while stuck in an elevator. Short fic inspired by The Raconteurs' "Many Shades of Black" as part of a music shuffle challenge. Femslash.


Even though she'd spent the better half of her night arguing to a fault with Foreman, Thirteen managed to show up for work the next day completely sober and without a hangover. But she was also irrefutably late. Much against her standard protocol for breaking up with anyone, last night's escalating skirmish turned into a complete massacre, resulting in Thirteen kicking him out of her apartment in the middle of the night and throwing all of his belongings out into the hallway so he'd have to humiliatingly collect everything wearing nothing but his socks and boxers. She had gotten soft, letting him stay overnight in her plush bachelors apartment, but after he accused her of wanting to cheat on him with other women one too many times, she realized that the easiest way to remedy this situation was to eliminate it completely. She was so sick of hearing House, Taub, and everyone else tell her that Foreman was wrong for her and as much as she didn't want to admit that she'd been mistaken about him, breaking up was better than wasting what was left of her life with someone who was constantly suspecting her of infidelity.

That same night, Cameron's apartment was quiet. Unsettlingly so. Looking over at Chase, who was reading some medical journal he hoped to be published in one day, Cameron sighed as she returned her gaze back to the novel she was reading, turning one page after another without actually reading the printed text. She knew this was going to happen; that she'd get bored with a stiflingly mundane relationship and want to look for something else – something House repeatedly told her didn't exist – but would either stay with Chase for the sake of not breaking his heart or in a fit of passion, end up aggressively ripping off the Band-Aid and moving on without further explanation. And she had no one to blame for this but herself. She'd allowed her fly by night relationship with him to turn into a serious, monogamous one all because if nothing else, Chase was charming. And like a naïve little schoolgirl, she'd fallen for him, no strings attached, and without a proper exit plan.

Taking off her glasses and setting them down on the coffee table, Cameron pulled her feet up onto the couch and hugged her knees for support. "I think we should take a break," she said, feeling the immediate pang of guilt well up in her stomach the second Chase stopped reading.

------

Now that House was completely invested in every molecule of _Foreteen's_ personal business, Thirteen wasn't even going to try to deflect the reasons for this morning's lateness. He'd know what had happened just by looking at her and that would mean a great deal of prying and ridicule, not to mention some kind of inconsequential punishment for not heeding his advice sooner or whatever. Smirking to herself as she walked through the glass hospital doors, suddenly more pleased than ever with her decision, she concluded that whatever House was going to throw at her this morning, it would be worth it. She was a free agent again and looked forward to again doing whatever she wanted, when she wanted, and with whomever she wanted.

Jogging up to the elevator doors as they were closing, Thirteen was relieved when the cute blonde nurse within jumped into action and hit the "Open Door" button, which allowed just enough time for Thirteen to squeeze in at the last minute.

"Thanks," she said a little out of breath and immediately realizing that the woman who had held the door open for her was not a nurse at all. Her mood immediately tensed and her cheeks flushed a subtle shade of pink when she found herself caught in the elevator with Dr. Cameron.

"You're welcome," Cameron smiled, pausing for a moment as she took note of how nervous and strangely embarrassed the usually over-confident Dr. Hadley was. She didn't normally act like this around her, but then again, maybe she did and Cameron had just never taken the time to notice it before. She smirked then glanced away when she observed that the brunette wouldn't even look in her direction. "Good morning, Dr. Hadley," she said with a certain flirtatious inflection in her voice, wondering just how good of a morning it had been for her. The usually pessimistic and closed off doctor seemed to be positively bursting with optimism this morning.

"Dr. Cameron," she greeted, glancing over at Cameron and nodding at her shyly, meanwhile catching the curious, playful spark in her eyes. _She's obviously a morning person_, Thirteen concluded.

Cameron smiled back, but then glanced back at the steel elevator doors, allowing the silence to momentarily envelope them again. "For someone that works with House everyday, you seem to be in an awfully good mood," she pointed out.

"Ahh," Thirteen thought aloud, her nerves getting the best of her. Biting her lip to fight back a fit of giggles, she looked back over at Cameron. "Am I that obvious?" She asked. Cameron shrugged, but nodded just the same. "Let's just say that everyone was right, I was wrong, and I'm very much looking forward to not having to share my dresser drawers with a certain someone anymore," she confessed, grinning.

"Is that so?" Cameron asked, raising her brows. Her curiosity in Thirteen was increasing by the second. "Good for you, Dr. Hadley," she congratulated her. "And for what it's worth, I never liked Foreman."

Chuckling, "Yeah, so I've heard."

"But I do care for you," she said, immediately realizing that Thirteen was going to misconstrue her words into meaning more than what she'd intended. "Wait. That's – that's not what I meant to say," she stumbled, wholeheartedly agreeing with Thirteen's incredulous look of shock but unable to nullify the damage.

"Oh, I beg to differ," Thirteen responded, snickering at Cameron's horrible case of foot-in-mouth disease.

Silence befell the enclosed space and Thirteen kept her eyes averted to sweat Cameron out, sensing her fidgeting with her hands. Subtly, Thirteen glanced over at her every now and again to admire Cameron's petite figure being concealed by her unflattering and yet still somehow adorable pink scrubs until Cameron eventually caught her gaze, resulting in quiet, embarrassed giggles from both women.

"So would you care to have dinner with me sometime, Dr. Hadley? If you can get away from House, I mean," Cameron suggested just as the elevator bell chimed and the doors opened.

Thirteen shot a quick smile to Cameron as she stepped out into the hallway. "I think that could be arranged," she teased, reaching out and holding the doors open before they so rudely interrupted her conversation. "And call me Remy," she nodded, drawing her hand back so that the elevator doors could seal shut and take Cameron up to her desired floor.


End file.
